One Book Bradford Enzo Creator Stein in Bradford Wednesday

By SANDRA RHODES

Author Garth Stein knew he had something special when writing his book, “The Art of Racing in the Rain.”

“I had a feeling. The voice was there … humor, sadness,” he said. What he didn’t know was how that success would be measured. Instead of weeks on the New York Bestseller list, it’s been years. Four-and-a-half to be exact.

One early indication was his wife’s reaction to the book the first time she read it. Her assessment?

“Enzo is going to go around the world,” she said. And she was right.

But while Enzo may not be coming to Bradford, his creator is. Stein will be in Bradford for an author talk at 7 p.m. Wednesday in the auditorium of the Bradford Area High School auditorium. The event is free and open to the public.

This even is the culmination of this year’s One Book Bradford season. The OBB committee invites the community to read one book per season. This year, the committee chose “The Art of Racing in the Rain,” a novel written from the perspective of Enzo, a dog who believes in reincarnation. This means he believes after living his life as a dog, he will come back as a man, thumbs (part of what sets him apart from humans) and all.

Stein, however, describes himself as more spiritual than religious. He does believe in reincarnation to a certain degree.

“There is a soul that can come back and participate in some way,” he said. “A recycling of the soul.”

Enzo’s journey begins, for the most part, when he is adopted by Denny and becomes enthralled by Formula One racing. Enzo watches what unfolds when Denny marries, becomes a father and endures incredible hardships.

To tell the story from the dog’s perspective was not as difficult as you may think.

“For me, it was writing a character. A human soul stuck in a dog’s body,” Stein said. “He wants his thumbs, but doesn’t want to leave his family. He is a highly conflicted character. He could have been anything.”

One of the book’s other “characters” is the zebra, which makes a brief yet memorable appearance. When Enzo is left alone for several days, the zebra, a part of Enzo’s hallucinations, comes to life and destroys items in the house.

Stein wrote the part of the zebra when he gave himself a writing assignment of what really makes Enzo tick. When left alone to his own devices, “something will get destroyed.”

But as Stein pointed out, Enzo would never hurt his family intentionally, but when something does happen, blame has to be placed somewhere. Here enters the zebra.

“We all do that in a less transparent way all the time – blaming someone else when we have full control of it.”

One thing seemingly not in control was the bad luck Denny had throughout most of the book. A Machiavellian way to justify how Denny’s story ends.

“I had to amp up that dynamic of highs and lows. Otherwise it wouldn’t be satisfying.”

As Stein wove a story involving life and hardships, it would all have to come to an end – both literally and figuratively. But getting to that end was just as difficult for Stein as it was for the reader.

“Emotionally, it was very had, but it was part of what I do.”

At the time Stein was writing the end, he was renting a desk in a professional office building full of non-writers. As he was writing, complete with an IPod earphones in his ears and tears on his cheek, a tour walked by. When someone asked what was happening, someone responded.

“He is a writer, he gets like that.”

Those who want to experience what Stein is about in person – and perhaps know why “Somewhere a zebra is dancing” is his favorite one-liner by Enzo – can come to the free event Wednesday.

Stein plans to read from the book, answer questions as well as sign books. But be mindful that he will cross off his name when he signs the book.

“The idea is that the publisher printed my name in the book as a formality; now I am assuming control of the book and “replacing” my printed (formal) name with my personal (informal) signature.”

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